All facets of me. What's in my heart, plainly. Occasionally, no holds barred and frank.

To Change The World

Is it the world that needs to be changed? Or is it our minds we need to change?

Believe it or not, I feel I have been directed to write this post after listening to the lyrics of the Wonder Woman theme song. The last sentence from the last stanza is “Change their minds, and change the world.” This phrase has played in my head over and over. Usually I forget such things after sleeping through the night, but this has stuck.

I couple this with a line from a scene in the Seventh Season opener of the hit television program NCIS. In this episode two of the main characters are being held in hopes of avenging the supposed death of a third character. The guest character who was holding them captive was talking about war and how to change the world. He made this statement in his speech, “You change the world with rivers of blood.” He went on to aver that wars are won only by body count.

War is only necessary for the barbarian to control the world. War is never needed to improve the world.

If anything, war has a negative impact on the world as a whole and on Mother Earth. The bombs and gunfire damages the Earth, kills innocent creatures as well as foliage. War is nothing but bad and those who believe it is the only way to bring about peace, apparently have no regard for human life nor any god they may serve.

We cannot force our ways on others. We must learn to respect their ways, culture and religions. When man first began getting around and venturing out beyond the borders of his comfortable home he saw what his neighbor had and decided either he liked it and had to have it as his own and then tried to take it by force, or he didn’t like it and believed the neighbor had to change to become like him and used force to make the change.

The problem is NOT with the other person. It is with you.

No, I do not agree that governments should rule, nor individuals should rule their homes, with brut force and terroristic activities. All human beings deserve to be treated civilly and with respect. To do any less is unacceptable.

Just because other people are different does not mean they are wrong. You claim that you do not care how others feel about you and you would stand up and fight for what you believe. Why then, do you believe others do not have the same rights? The United States is involved in war because the government has told these people their ways are wrong and they must change to suit the United States. Those people fought back and the United States was appalled. This government points fingers at other nations, but doesn’t give much concern for the people within their own borders.

Rivers of blood and large body count will never supply an adequate outcome. It will only provide death, pain, suffering and famine. If wars must be fought, let the leaders of the nations desiring to fight start the river flowing with their own blood. Perhaps if they are the ones actually fighting as was done in ancient times, they may reconsider sitting down and actually talking to each other in a way to communicate and understand.

We must start by agreeing on one small issue. It doesn’t matter what it is. Even if it is only saying “Howdy”. Then we can work our way up to bigger things, such as ‘it is okay for us to be different’.

Changing the minds of others is a start in changing the world, but it is not the full answer. We must look within and start there. When we are at peace within ourselves we can move outward to family, friend, countrymen and world. No race, religion or genre of music is better than all the others. None are lesser. All human beings are equal regardless of their skin color, sexual preference, nationality, hair color or office held. Instead of stepping on the people around you to make yourself appear great, try reaching down your hand to help those around you and actually be great.

We will change the world, by changing how we see it. We will achieve peace faster with a cup of coffee and piece of pie than with a knife and gun.